


Second Wife

by meletes_muse



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Crossover, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-12-26 00:34:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12047604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meletes_muse/pseuds/meletes_muse
Summary: Helen knows she'll probably regret this, but the heady thrill of adventure is calling. When the inimitable Dr River Song arrives on Helen's doorstep in 1952, she can't resist another jaunt through time.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

_River Song [to The Doctor]: Do you not know who that man is? King Hydroflax, the Butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ends his battles by eating his enemies, dead or alive. The murder of a creature like that wouldn’t weigh very heavily on my conscience, even if I had one._

_[The Doctor continues to object to killing Hydroflax]_

_River Song: You know who you remind me of?_

_The Doctor: Yes, probably a chap with a big -_

_River Song: My second wife._

[From _Doctor Who_ , “The Husbands of River Song”]

 

**Old City, 1952**

  
“Hello, sweetie!” River waves as she strides up the front path towards the large oak doors of the Old City Sanctuary, plucking her white-rimmed sunglasses off with a flourish and placing them atop her sculpted blonde hair.

Helen Magnus doesn’t gape, she learned long ago to school her features to polite interest, but her eyes widen as she takes in her figure-hugging red dress and red-and-white spotted heels. River always liked to dress in local fashions, but the gold bracelet on her wrist is a gift that Helen gave her after their trip to the Great Exhibition in 1851.

“My, my,” River’s hand rests gently on Helen’s hip as she places a lingering kiss on her cheek, “you look wonderful, darling. This era does suit you.”

Helen fixes River with a look. She hasn’t seen her since 1937, when Helen had called in a favour to allow them access to the Louvre’s storage vaults. River had made off with a precious artefact, leaving Helen to deal with the irate museum director. Helen’s only recently been allowed back.

“You are _unbelievable_.”

“Really, Helen, they have hundreds of those things. I’m just surprised they actually noticed it was missing.”

River absently rubs a bruise on her arm. “Those guards were a tad rough, don’t you think?”

“You stole a two-thousand-year-old pendant!”

“Key.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a key, not a pendant.”

 _A key? How curious._ Helen clamps down on the urge to ask what it’s for. River tricked her and then _left_ her. She’s heard nothing since. No explanation, no apology… River’s always dropped in and out of her life, but this really was too much.

“Oh, come on, Helen. I know you’re dying to ask what it’s for.”

“I don’t care.”

She hates how petulant she sounds.

“Really?”

Helen shrugs. River’s right, of course. But she’ll be damned if she’ll tell her that.

“Aren’t you even a little bit curious? The Halassi would pay their own weight in gold to get their hands on a piece of technology like this.”

“Then the Halassi are no better than common criminals.”

“So harsh.” River reaches out to touch her arm, but Helen bats her hand away. She’s not in the mood for games.

“Well,” River shrugs, “if you’re not interested…” she turns to go.

Helen watches as she makes her way down the front steps.

“Wait.”

When River turns around to makes her way back to Helen, she looks like the cat that got the cream. It’s almost enough to make Helen send her away. But she does enjoy an adventure, and River has certainly given her that over the years. Even if she’s not always entirely reliable.

“You can’t just…” Helen gestures vaguely at the sky, “…drop in here, unannounced, after all these years and - ”

She makes a muffled _mmmph_ noise as River silences her with a kiss. For a moment she’s lost in the sensation, it’s been too long since she took a lover, but as soon as her thoughts catch up, she pushes River away.

“You can’t stay angry forever.”

Helen crosses her arms across her chest. She is angry, but she’s also more hurt than she’d care to admit.

“Aren’t you even going to apologise? Monsieur Legravier was James’ contact, you know.”

River considers this. “Apologies are so dreary.”

This time it’s Helen who turns away. She’s not sure what she was hoping for, really. She pulls open the Sanctuary’s large oak door.

“I’m sorry, Helen.”

 _Well_.

She turns back to face River, who, to her credit, is trying to look at least a little contrite. That’s probably the best she’s going to get. She gives her a long, hard look.

“If I join you, will you give me your word that I won’t be in for another unpleasant surprise?”

River spreads her hands in a helpless gesture. “You know as well as I do that I can’t.”

Helen does know it. “Will you at least give me your word that the unpleasant surprise won’t be your doing?”

River’s grinning like a Cheshire cat now. She winks and holds out her arm. “That I can do.”

“Well then,” Helen takes her arm. “Shall we, Doctor Song?”

She knows she’ll probably regret this, but the heady thrill of adventure is calling. James will be furious when he finds out that she’s off with _that_ _bloody_ _woman_ again.

River reaches for her time travel bracelet and Helen feels a slight static tingle before suddenly -

“ _Dear God_.”

They’re standing in the middle of a crowded market place. It looks a little bit like rural France, sometime during the Middle Ages. But when Helen takes in the vendors, she notices that all of them are women. She’s always been rather taken with the idea of an all-women society. In their modern clothing, Helen and River don’t exactly blend in. But any further thoughts on the issue are forestalled when a young woman approaches them, bowing in greeting.

“Dr Song,” she smiles shyly at River, “and this must be your wife-to-be. The Council will see you now.”

 _Wife-to-be?_ This time, Helen really does gape, though she tries to mask it. The young woman must have noticed, though, because she glances between them with a happy smile.

“Dr Song didn’t tell you the Council had accepted her proposal?”

 _Her proposal?_ Helen shakes her head minutely, smile fixed. The girl looks at River with adulation.

“It is a great honour to be wed before the Council.”

“I’m sure it is,” Helen replies through gritted teeth. _What the hell is River doing?_

“If it pleases you, Dr Song, I’ll take you to the Council now?”

“That would be excellent, Polonia,” River flashes the girl a flirtatious smile, “lead the way.”

Ducking her head and blushing, the young woman sets off through the market place. _Really._ The look Helen gives River is murderous.

“You said no surprises,” she grits out, as they follow their guide.

“I said no _unpleasant_ surprises,” River clarifies. “Is becoming my wife really so bad?”

Helen’s quickly losing patience. 

“What’s this about, River?”

River sighs, melodramatically. “I suppose you wouldn’t believe me if I said it’s about my undying love for you?”

“Have you any concept of how tempted I am just to slap you and be done with this damned charade?”

“Oooh,” River lowers her voice, “how very _kinky_ of you, darling.”

Helen hates that she blushes. She’s never heard the word before, but its meaning is clear. “Oh, do shut up.”

“If it’s any consolation,” River says, “I’m sure the marriage won’t be binding on Earth.”

“And what, pray tell, makes you so certain I’ll go through with it?”

“Apart from your undying love for me?”

“I’m serious, River.”

“Oh, alright. Women married by the Council are allowed to visit the Caves of Demos.”

Helen frowns. There’s obviously more to it than that.

“The caves,” River lectures, as though Helen’s one of her damned students, “are believed to be the location where the First Women made their home at the beginning of the First Cycle.”

“But?” Helen prompts.

“But,” River grins at her, “ - Gold star for you, Dr Magnus - some scholars believe that the caves are actually a portal.”

“A portal to?”

“There’s the rub. The Book of Cycles doesn’t actually say where the portal leads, but it’s probably the final resting place of the ship that brought the Demosthesians to this world in the first place.”

“And you’re interested in this because?”

“I’m an archaeologist,” she winks, “I like old things.”

Helen decides to ignore that. She can’t fathom how a person can be so completely confounding, and yet so inconceivably charming.

“And just how do you plan to open - ”

 _The key. Everything suddenly makes sense_.

“Well done, darling.”

But Helen’s response is forestalled when they turn a corner and find themselves standing in front of a large wooden structure, probably the town meeting house. Polonia steps forward to reach for the door handle. 

“The Council will see you now.”

 

 

**To be continued...**

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“What year is it?” Helen asks, as they walk along the dark tunnel. She pulls the flower garland from her hair with only mild annoyance. If she’s completely honest, she’s actually rather enjoying herself. The marriage ceremony was surprisingly utilitarian: short vows, after which Helen and River were draped in flower garlands by a group of young woman from the village. Kissing River was certainly no hardship, though Helen would never tell her that. She _is_ still a little angry at her sometime lover. But it seems that Helen will put up with rather a lot when a jaunt through time is involved. And she’s missed River more than she cares to admit.

River stops to consider her question, “On Demosthesia? 5062 of the the Third Cycle.”

Helen wrinkles her brow, “What’s that in Earth years?”

“Time doesn’t work like that, sweetie.”

Helen doesn’t think about time in the same way that most people do, but even she finds relativity a difficult concept when applied to space time. She understands the theory, certainly - she and Albert discussed it many times - but she never expected to have any practical experience of it.

As they continue on down the dark tunnel, Helen runs her fingers along the smooth rock face. It’s clearly man-made - or woman-made in this case; _how wonderful_ \- and it’s cold to the touch. Helen and River are still wearing the simple white gowns they’d been dressed in for the ceremony and Helen’s arms are covered in goosebumps. As custom dictates, they’re barefoot, but thankfully the cool, damp earth is soft underfoot.

“Aha!” River stops without warning, and Helen walks straight into her.

“ _Ooft_!”

“Sorry, sweetie,” River gently squeezes Helen’s hand. But her attention is completely focussed on what appears to be an entryway. She holds her burning torch to the edges of the tall arch, following the curve and looking for any sign that the flush stone panel is a door. “Now all we need to do is find the keyhole,” she murmurs, thoughtfully.

Watching River in action is like watching master at work. She’s so focussed on the task in hand that everything else is forgotten entirely. But when River takes a step back to look at the large entryway, there’s a faint click, and a movement overhead catches Helen’s eye.

_A trap!_

“River!” Instinct takes over, and Helen leaps at her lover, knocking her flat to the floor just as a large stone block lands with a heavy thump where they stood only moments before.

“Are you alright?” she asks, looking worriedly at the woman beneath her. They fell quite heavily, after all, and in a somewhat undignified heap.

River wiggles her eyebrows saucily. “Oh, yes,” she strokes Helen’s arm, “quite alright.”

Helen tsks. Trust River to turn a moment of crisis into something salacious. Although... Helen swallows. Their bodies are flush together, and those lips...

“You remind me of my first wife,” River says, though she’s wearing an odd smile, “always over thinking things.”

“ _First_ wife?” Much to her surprise, Helen’s a little put out.

“Mmm,” River licks her lips, “she’s a doctor too.”

“You’re still married.”

River seems to consider this. “I am. But time makes things a little —”

“Complicated,” Helen strokes an errant curl off River’s cheek.

“Timey-wimey,” River muses, making to sit up.

Helen pins her down with a sultry smile. “You’re already married to a woman.”

She can’t deny that she’s terribly curious.

River smirks, “ _Two_ women, now.”

Helen smacks her arm, but she can’t help grinning. “You’re an incorrigible minx, Doctor Song.”

“Oh, sweetie,” River says, “you really must stop chastising me like that, or I’ll be tempted to ravish you right here.”

Helen flushes, the things River says... But she’s not one to be outdone. “Oh? I don’t think you’re in a position to ravish anyone at the moment.”

She leans forward, catching River’s lips in a slow, soft kiss. A promise.

“ _Helen_ ,” River whispers when their lips part. She’s gloriously tender when she’s not preening. Helen lets out a contented sigh. But they can’t lie here forever, and besides Helen’s starting to feel the chill. Gently, she eases herself up, sitting back on her heels. 

“Do you think there are other traps?” She asks, as she pulls River up into a sitting position.

“Most likely,” River grimaces.

“I wonder why no one told us.”

“Perhaps it’s part of the test.”

“Test?”

River gives a long-suffering sigh, adopting a voice that Helen instantly recognises as that of the High Mother, “ _Only true daughters of Demos will find what they seek. Take care, my child, that you are not blinded by desire_.” River grimaces. “It’s a load of old nonsense, if you ask me.”

Helen shakes her head, “Most myths usually have an historic origin of some sort.”

River gets to her feet, and retrieves the still-burning turning, which had thankfully landed a few feet behind them.

“Careful,” Helen says, as River walks back to the doorway. She stands, brushing the dirt from her now rather rumpled gown.

“When am I not careful?”

Helen doesn’t dignify that with a response. As River begins to examine the entryway again - this time, with much greater care - Helen looks about for a place to sit down. It’s not that she hasn’t been on archaeological digs before, but when it comes to other planets, well... she has to admit that River’s the expert. As she makes to sit down on a smooth boulder by the opposite wall, she notices what looks like writing in the centre of the smooth surface. 

“River?” It’s too dark to make it out without the torch.

“Hmmm?”

“Can you bring the torch? I think I’ve found something.”

River hurries over, though Helen notices that she pays attention to where she’s putting her feet.

“My, my,” River grins at her when she sees the symbols, which are raised on the stone like buttons on a typewriter, “be still my heart.” She lowers the torch so they can get a better look. It’s certainly no language Helen knows. 

River’s eyes sparkle in the torchlight. “Just as well I took the time to learn ancient Demosthos.”

Helen’s lips quirk upwards slightly as she waits for River’s explanation. There’s no hurrying her when she’s showing off.

“Well, well, this _is_ unusual,” River winks at Helen, “Hmmm, let’s see... this is the symbol for the afterlife... hmmm, best steer clear of that one... and this one’s... oh, the less said about that the better, I’m afraid... hmmm, nope, not that one... _aha!_ ” River reaches forward to press the hexagon-like symbol, but Helen stops her with a hand on a her arm.

“Are you sure?”

“Am I sure?” River makes an exaggerated gesture with her arms, “Of _course_ I’m sure, darling. All we have to do is press the button, and we should gain access to a second control panel.”

“Surely it won’t hurt to just pause for a moment and — ”

River presses the button. Of course she does. Helen tenses.

But nothing happens. _Dear Lord, River can be reckless sometimes._ Helen lets out a relieved breath. 

River sighs, dramatically, “It must be one of the oth —

Helen feels the floor shift beneath them, and the ground tilts at an impossible angle. Suddenly, they’re falling into the darkness below. Helen’s hair whips at her face, her arms and legs flailing helplessly. 

_Oh, bloody hell!_

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I am very excited about the new Doctor! 
> 
> Some credits: River’s “Be still my heart,” line is one of Nikola Tesla’s lines in the Sanctuary season 3 episode, “Animus”.  
> Also, I sort of riffed off Helen and Nikola trying to solve the puzzle that is the virtual city here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content note: scenes of a potentially distressing nature (depending on how much drama I’ve managed to achieve!)

When Helen comes to, she’s lying on top of River again. This time, River’s out cold.

“River?”

Her pulse is relatively normal under the circumstances, but loss of consciousness is rarely a good thing. 

“ _River!_ ”

River groans, lifting a tentative hand to her head, before slowly opening her eyes. When she speaks, her voice is groggy, but she cracks a pained smile. 

“Hello sweetie.”

Helen shifts, slowly taking her weight off River, and gently removing her lover’s hand from her head. 

“Let me see, darling.”

There’s no bleeding, but an egg-shaped lump has already risen up near River’s temple. She must have been clipped by some debris on the way down.

“Does that hurt?”

“It does when you press it, yes.”

River’s eyes twinkle, and Helen knows she’s going to be fine.

“No loss of sharp-edged wit, I see. Can you move your legs?”

River groans, but moves her feet from side to side. 

“Good,” Helen nods, before looking around in frustration. “It would be better if we had some water.”

“ _And there the worthy shall find all they deserve._ ” 

River’s impression of the High Mother is a little lacklustre this time. 

Helen sighs. “I’m presuming ‘there’ is the chamber, and we appear to be...” she looks around at the four sandstone walls, “well, it’s definitely a chamber of some sort.”

River groans again as Helen helps her to sit up. She glances at the smooth walls before looking up to the the ceiling which has slotted seamlessly back into place. “Pity there isn’t another door.”

Helen moves to sit next to her. “Just what exactly did that symbol say?”

River rubs absently at a smudge of dirt on her arm. “It’s hard to translate, but roughly? ‘Press here to enter.’”

Helen frowns. “Maybe there’s more than one chamber.”

River rubs her forehead in a rare show of frustration. “But that doesn’t make any sense.”

“Why not? The Great Pyramid has a number of chambers.”

With a small grunt of exertion, River stands, looking up at the ceiling. It’s certainly too high to reach without ropes of some sort, and even if they could get up there, Helen has no idea how they’d get it to open again. Unless there’s another symbol. 

River seems to have the same idea. She limps to the wall, running her hands over the smooth surface, feeling for depressions or hidden cavities. 

“Odd about the torches,” Helen mutters, “they were already lit.”

“I suspect,” River says carefully, “that we’re not really alone down here.”

“What?” Helen glances about sharply. “You think we’re being watched?” 

“Likely a hidden camera,” River’s voice is grim, “ _That old witch..._ ”

Helen frowns, “Film? Surely not... but –”

River winks, “ _Spoilers._ ”

_Dear Lord, the future holds such wonder._

“But –”

River wags a finger at Helen in that infuriating manner of hers, “Now darling, you know I can’t tell you. Besides,” she looks at Helen curiously, “don’t you find it exciting to learn the future as it happens?”

Helen snorts, “Says the Time Lord!”

River looks sympathetic, then. “Sorry, darling, It’s just not something I have that much experience of.” 

Helen doesn’t suppose she does. 

“Once we get out of here,” River continues on, blithely, “I’ll take you sometime nice. Sometime historical, perhaps? Lesbos is lovely in the antique period, and Sappho’s quite a character if you catch her on a good day.”

Helen huffs, but she feels rather childish. She wants to blame River for their predicament, but really it’s Helen who should have known better. This is hardly the first time they’ve gotten into trouble on some distant planet goodness knows when. 

Seemingly oblivious, River makes a show of considering their options. “I do like Mary Sidney. She has wonderful dinner parties, and the conversation? You’d be in your element, Helen.”

Despite herself, Helen feels her lips quirk upwards. She can’t deny that River knows how to keep her intrigued. Curiosity gets the better of her: “What about Cleopatra?”

“Oh, she’s fabulous!”

River’s enthusiasm is infectious, and Helen can’t help the laugh that bubbles up in her throat. The idea of meeting Cleopatra is so far removed from anything she’d ever expected to do that she once again wonders how in the world she arrived here.

River closes the distance between them, and reaches out to cup her cheek. She actually looks a little guilty. 

“I’m sorry, Helen.”

Helen shakes her head resolutely. “I’m not exactly blameless,” she brings her hand up to cover River’s, “And we’ve got ourselves out of more dire situations than this.”

River’s laugh is deep and genuine. “Always the optimist.”

Helen huffs good-naturedly. “You’re hardly the first person to accuse me of that.”

“I’m sure I’m not,” she leans in to brush her lips against Helen’s. And when River pulls back, she gives Helen a rather saucy look. Helen’s insides flip pleasantly. But she won’t be distracted. Later, perhaps, but right now they need to get themselves out of this mess. 

“Right,” she says, with a great deal more purpose than she feels, “let’s look for another way out.”

As she walks to the wall in front of them, she tries to ignore River’s gaze on her backside. _Honestly!_

But when she hears River make her way to the opposing wall, she leans forward against the cool surface, letting out a sigh of relief. _That woman is too distracting by half._

 _Focus_ , Helen chastises herself. _But she really needs to invite more women to her bed, because –_

“Helen?”

She straightens. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“Of course.”

But River’s watching her with a sly smile. “Where did you go just now?”

As Helen turns to face her, she feels her cheeks pink slightly, “Pardon?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me, Dr Magnus.”

Helen sniffs. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

River’s grinning now. _Insufferable!_

“Well,” River shrugs, “I’ll just have to torture it out of you later.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Helen retorts primly. But really she’s thinking, _oh, dear Lord, yes_.

River’s infuriatingly smug sometimes, but well... when it comes to the bedroom she certainly has reason to be. Helen feels gloriously wicked just _thinking_ about the hours they spent together.

With a knowing look, River turns back to her section of wall. She stills, suddenly. And with a murmur of recognition, bends closer to examine the wall. “Softly does it.” It seems she’s found something. And thank goodness for that because –

“Ouch!” River snatches her hand clutching her fingers to her chest. “The damned wall bit me!” Her expression is pained.

Helen’s instantly concerned. _What is happening here?_

She rushes over as River’s face contorts in agony. “Damn it!” River yells, “Damn YOU!” she directs at the ceiling. 

“River?” Helen reaches for her injured hand. “What is it? What happened?”

River hisses as Helen examines the bleeding gash on the back of her hand. 

“River?”

River’s silent for a moment, before taking a shuddering breath. And when their eyes meet, Helen sees something she’s never seen there before: fear. 

River swallows, voice hoarse. “It’s venom,” she says. 

“ _What?_ But how – ”

“I know,” River’s voice is deadly certain. “Unmistakable tingling in my toes...”

“ _Dear God_ ,” Helen’s breath is faint. But there must be something they can do, something _someone_ can do. She feels a rush of anger. 

“Let us out!” she yells at their invisible captors. “Are you listening? _Just let us out!_ ”

Nothing. Just the sound of River’s rasping breaths. 

“River?” Helen takes her by the shoulders, “River, listen to me, darling. We can fix this. _River!_ ” She cries out as her lover falls to the floor.

Helen drops to her knees, cradling her in her arms. “I promise, darling,” – she can hear the panic in her voice – “we’ll think of something.”

River struggles to speak as she takes gasping breaths. “When... did you... become my... knight... in shining... armour...?”

Her eyes drift shut, breathing faint. 

Tears stream down Helen’s face. And in that moment, she knows she’s going to lose her.

The chamber has become eerily silent, save for River’s pained breaths. 

Softly, Helen strokes her hair.

“You never did tell me,” Helen murmurs, “what you were looking for on the ship. Though I suppose it doesn’t matter much now.”

River stirs. Then, a whisper: _immortality elixir._

Helen’s sure she can’t have heard correctly. 

“ _What?_ ” 

That doesn’t make any sense. Helen’s already been blessed with near eternal youth, and River’s Time Lord heritage has given her an incredibly long lifespan.

“For... _you_ ,” River’s voice is gentle.

Helen doesn’t understand. _Why on earth would –_

“You’re always... alone... need... someone.”

 _Dear God_. River wanted her to have the serum for a partner... a very long-term one. It’s such an unselfish act, and Helen’s chest aches at the thought that they’re going to die alone down here.

Tears continue to stream down her face as River’s breathing stops.

“River! _Oh, River!_ ”

 

**To be continued...**

 

 


End file.
